Materials blending machine



Nov. 24, 1964 J. J. FISCHER 3,158,358

MATERIALS BLENDING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1963 INVENTOR. JOHN J. FISCHER ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofilice 3,158,358 MATERIALS BLENDKNG MACK-ENE John J. Fischer, East Strondshurg, Pa, assignor to The Patterson-Kelley Co. Inc., East Strourlshurg, Pa. Filed Mar. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,105 6 Claims. ((31. 259-44) This invention relates to materials blending or mixing devices, and more particularly to machines for blending particulate solids or solids and liquids. Such machines are useful in connection with a variety of materials processing industries wherein uniformly blended mixtures of solids or of solids and liquid feed materials are required for further processing into the desired products.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for economically producing superior blends of materials, such as referred to hereinabove.

Another object is to provide an improved machine as aforesaid which is readily adjustable so as to adapt it to efiiciently perform its intended function when working with feed materials of a wide variety of physical and blending characteristics.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide an improved machine as aforesaid which embodies a novel combination of operative components, acting upon the feed materials in such manner as to subject them to an improved dispersion and intermix action.

Another object is to provide an improved machine as aforesaid which is of mechanically simple and rugged form; and inexpensive to manufacture, operate, and maintain.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will ap pear from the specification and drawing hereinafter, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section, of a machine of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 111-411 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale fragmentary sectional view of a detail of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a discharge spout portion of the machine of FIG. 1.

As shown herein, a machine embodying the features of the present invention may be construed to comprise a support base and pedestal 12 arranged to suspend in vertically standing attitude a generally conically shaped container 14. The container is preferably supported by the pedestal in positionally adjustable relation (for reasons to be explained hereinafter) as by means of a bracket 16 extending from the container through a slotted wall portion of the pedestal into slide fitted relation with the other side wall portions of the pedestal, and carried by a screw post 20 controlled by a hand wheel 18 to facilitate fine vertical adjustments of the container. A set screw 21 or the like may then be used to lock the parts in adjusted position.

A vertically disposed spindle 22 shouldered at its upper end is rotatably mounted as by means of a suspension bearing block 24 on a beam structure 26 which is mounted to extend horizontally from the pedestal 12, so that the lower end of the spindle 22 extends into the interior of the casing 14. A stabilizing collar and bearing assembly 27 is fixed to and extends below the beam 26 to enclose a portion of the spindle 22 and to stabilize it positionally. The spindle is driven to rotate as by means of a pulley 28, belt 29, and motor 30. A conically shaped feed material receiving hopper 32 is mounted by means of arms 33 extending from the sleeve so as to substantially occupy the upper end of the casing 14. Thus, the hopper 32 is adapted to receive solid feed materials, such as from a gravity feed spout as shown, and to direct them to flow 3,158,358 Patented Nov. 24, 1964 around the spindle 22 and through a centrally located opening 36 formed in the bottom of the hopper. From thence the feed material falls onto a slinger disc 40 which is keyed to the drive shaft 22 to rotate therewith just below the position of the hopper discharge opening. Thus, as material flows through the opening 36 it falls upon the disc 40 and is slung thereby radially, and is thereby spread uniformly around the inner periphery of the casing 14. As it descends through the peripheral gap between the disc 4% and the wall of the casing it becomes suspended in a whirling airstream and spirals rapidly against the side wall of the casing as it slowly descends, as shown by the spiral arrow path in FIG. 1. A radial blower type fan 42 is carried by the lower end of the shaft 22 to generate an upward air flow along the casing wall and thus to assist in maintaining the feed material within the casing in a state of aerial suspension. Thus, rotation of the fan 42 and the disc 40 will create a radial circulation of atmosphere just under the slinger disc, which will lead into a downwardly spiraling pattern of air and material flow, wherein the feed materials will be thoroughly dispersed and intimately mixed and blended.

To adapt the machine to also handle liquid feed materials a liquid dispersing device 45, which may be of the form disclosed in my previous patents Nos. 2,890,027 and 2,915,300, is disposed in the space between the slinger disc 4i) and the fan 42. The device 45 is fed by a supply conduit 47 via a hollow passageway formed lengthwise through the shaft 22 (FIGS. 14). Thus, it will be appreciated that as the shaft 22 is driven to rotate and solid feed material is delivered to the hopper 32, the solid materials will be rapidly dispersed by the slinger action and the circulating air currents in the lower portion of the casing, while the liquid dispersion device 45 will throw out a fine spray of liquid into the air-suspended solids and into solids which are spiraling down along the inside wall of the casing as shown in FIG. 1. As a consequence a greatly improved solids-liquid blending action is provided.

To maintain the requisite pneumatic pressure and current circulation conditions within the casing 14, the bot tom discharge end portion of the casing is preferably provided with a self sealing air lock type discharge arrangement, such as is indicated at 5%. This device may comprise for example a flattened rubber sleeve which is slit as indicated at 51 (FIG. 1) at opposite sides thereof so as to provide a pair of lips which normally tend to remain closed. However, Whenever a batch of finished product of suflicient weight accumulates in the device, the lips open and permit the product to discharge from the machine.

Positional adjustments of the casing 14 vertically on the pedestal 12 will automatically provide corresponding adjustments of the width of the gap between the perimeter of the slinger disc 4% and the inner wall of the casing 14. Thus, the pneumatic effects within the casing may be regulated to best suit different blending requirements. An air seal as indicated at 54- may be employed to seal the slide fit between the top cover 55 of the casing 14 and the collar 27 without interfering with the vertical adjustments referred to.

It will of course be appreciated that although only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail hereinabove, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A multiple feed material blending machine comprising in combination, a generally conically shaped housing, a power driven spindle disposed vertically and centrally within said housing, a solids material inlet opening at the top of said housing, a slinger disc keyed to said spindle and operable to throw solid feed materials radially and spirally therefrom against the side wall of said housing, means directing feed materials from said inlet opening to the center portion of said slinger disc, a radial fan device carried by said spindle in the lower apex end portion of said housing and operating to create a circulation of air and suspended materials directed radially against the side wall of said housing and upwardly thereagainst in opposition to gravity-induced downward movements of the solid materials, and a liquid spray device carried by said spindle intermediately of said slinger and said fan device.

2. A multiple feed material blending machine comprising in combination, a generally conically shaped housing, a power driven spindle disposed vertically and centrally within said housing, a solids material inlet opening at the top of said housing, a slinger disc keyed to said spindle and operable to throw solid feed materials radially and spirally therefrom against the side wall of said hous- 7 ing, means directing feed materials from said inlet opening to the center portion of said slinger disc, a radial fan device carried by said spindle in the lower apex end portion of said housing and operating to create a circulation of air and suspended materials radially against the side wall of said housing and in opposition to gravityinduced downward movements of the solid materials, a liquid spray device carried by said spindle intermediately of said slinger and said fan device, and means for adjusting the vertical positional relation of said conical-shaped housing and said slinger disc.

3. A multiple feed material blending machine comprising in combination, a base, a generally conically shaped housing carried by said base, a power driven spindle carried by said base and disposed vertically and centrally within said housing, a solids material inlet opening at the top of said housing, a slinger disc keyed to said spindle and operable to throw solid feed materials radially and spirally therei rom against the side wall of said housing, means directing feed materials from said inlet opening to the center portion of said slinger disc, a radial fan device canried by said spindle in the lower apex end portion of said housing and operating to create a circulation of air and suspended materials radially against the side wall of said housing and in opposition to gravity-induced movements of the solid materials, a liquid spray device carried by said spindle intermediately of said slinger and said fan device, and means for vertically shifting the position of said housing on said base.

centrally within said housing, a sol-ids material inlet opening at the top of said housing, a slinger disc keyed to said spindle and operable to throw solid feed materials radially and spirally therefrom against the side wall of said housing, means directing feed materials from said inlet opening to the center portion of said slinger disc, a radial fan device carried by said spindle in the lower apex end portion of said housing and operating to create a circulation of air and suspended materials radially against the side wall of said housing and in opposition to gravity-induced movements of the solid materials, and a liquid spray device carried by said spindle intermediately of said slinger and said flan device, said spray device comprising means slinging liquid in a plane radially of said spindle while oscillating said plane.

5. A multiple feed material blending machine comprising in combination, a generally conically shaped housing, a power driven spindle disposed vertically and centrally within said housing, a solids material inlet opening at the top of said housing, a slinger disc keyed to said spindle and operable to throw solid feed materials radially and spirally therefrom against the side Wall of said housing, means directing feed materials from said inlet opening to said slinger disc, a radial fan device carried by said spindle in the lower portion of said housing and ope-rating to create a circulation of air directed in opposition to gravity-induced downward movements of the solid materials, and a liquid spray device carried by said spindle intermediately of said slinger and said fian device.

6. A multiple feed material blending machine comprising in combination, a base, a generally conically shaped housing supported by said base in vertically adjusted relation, a power driven spindle supported by arm means extending from said base and disposed vertically and centrally within said housing, a material inlet opening at the top of said housing, a slinger disc keyed to said spindle and operable to throw feed materials radially and spirally therefrom, means directing feed materials from said inlet opening to said slinger disc, a radial fan device carried by said spindle below said slinger disc and operating to create a circulation of air within said housing, and a liquid spray device carried by said spindle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A MULTIPLE FEED MATERIAL BLENDING MACHINE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A GENERALLY CONICALLY SHAPED HOUSING, A POWER DRIVEN SPINDLE DISPOSED VERTICALLY AND CENTRALLY WITHIN SAID HOUSING, A SOLIDS MATERIAL INLET OPENING AT THE TOP OF SAID HOUSING, A SLINGER DISC KEYED TO SAID SPINDLE AND OPERABLE TO THROW SOLID FEED MATERIALS RADIALLY AND SPIRALLY THEREFROM AGAINST THE SIDE WALL OF SAID HOUSING, MEANS DIRECTING FEED MATERIALS FROM SAID INLET OPENING TO THE CENTER PORTION OF SAID SLINGER DISC, A RADIAL FAN DEVICE CARRIED BY SAID SPINDLE IN THE LOWER APEX END PORTION OF SAID HOUSING AND OPERATING TO CREATE A CIRCULATION OF AIR AND SUSPENDED MATERIALS DIRECTED RADIALLY AGAINST THE SIDE WALL OF SAID HOUSING AND UPWARDLY THEREAGAINST IN OPPOSITION TO GRAVITY-INDUCED DOWNWARD MOVEMENTS OF THE SOLID MATERIALS, AND A LIQUID SPRAY DEVICE CARRIED BY SAID SPINDLE INTERMEDIATELY OF SAID SLINGER AND SAID FAN DEVICE. 